Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-13
TELEGRAPH DISCUSSION.
The Consolidation of the Telegraph
Companies Attracting Attention
at Washington.
Probability That Congress at Its Coming
Session VIII Take Notice of the
Matter.
Chicago Inter Ocean,

Chicago Inter Ocean.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9.-The absorption
of the Baltimore and Ohio Telegraph
Company by the Western Union-if it is
q fact that the consolidation has been
effected-is attracting much attention
here from those who are accustomed to
follow the movements Of Congress. The
opinion prevails that as consequence of
this consolidation, the attempt to secure
some national legislation on the subject
of Interstate telegraph will be renewed
with much better prospects of SUCCESS
than has t1erto seemed possible. There
are few who believe that it will be the
purpose of the owners of the new tele-
graph combination to sell this great prop
erty 70 the federal government Tor sum
that will be satisfactory to the owners of
il. But the few Congressman who are
here do not believe that the telegraph
companies can induce Congress to mi
tiate legislation which will have in view
the purchase of the stock of the existing
companies or of the cons )lidated CON-
psny, al any price which the owners would
be likely TO accept. On the contrary,
they maintain that the fact that the great
telegraph lines Of the country are by this
consolidation practically placed under
one management will furnish new and
powerful arguments for legislation, which
will do all atlegislation can to lake the
telegraph business free to all who can
command sufficient capital, or to render
it practicable for the government to go
into the telegraph business On It's own
account, or to enable new companies to
establish telegraph lines along all post
roads, and the power of the government
to declare road post-road 8 very CON-
prehensive. There are some provisions
in existing laws which may have an i'm
portant bearing upon the future of the
telegraph business in this country, and
which possibly msy not be without ulti-
mate effect upon the consolidation which
it is supposed has Just been accomplished.
The chapter Of the Revised Statutes
relating TO telegraph companies may fur
nish some light upon the subject, and a
careful examination OF that chapter will
show that the government, without fur
Their enactments, has much greater power
over the telegraph system of the country
than is generally supposed. Chapter 90,
Revised Statutes contains, among other
things, these provisions:
any state shall have the right to con-
struct and operate lines over the public
domain, over any of the military Or post
roads, and over, under, or across the
navigable streams or waters
Of the United States; but such lines
of telegraph shall be so constructed and
maintained as not to obstruct the nayigs-
ton of such streams and waters or inter
for mi 10 f-ou ON
itary or post roads. the rights and priv
ileges granted by the ac,s which relate to
telegrsphs shall not be transferred by any
company setting Hereunder to any other
corporation, association or person.
Possibly this provision may be of inter-
est to those who have conducted telegraph
consultations, for it is probable that
some portions of the line of the telegraph
company which have been transferred do
run over the nAvigable waters of the
United States, or over some portion of
the public domain, or in some way within
the provisions of this get. Section 1851
provides:
Before any telegraph company shsll ex-
ercise any OF the powers or privileges
conferred by the law, such company shall
file their written acceptance with the
Postmaster General Of the restrictions
and obligations required by law.
The written acceptsnces Of all the prin-
cipal telegraph companies of the United
States sre fled in the Postoffice Depart
ment, AS contemplated by this section;
and, OF course, all telegraph companies
who have accepted the conditions of this
act sre bound by this statute. What pow
er such an acceptance gives the general
government is for the lawyers to deter
mine. Another section in this chapter gives
the United States the right to purchase
all the telegraph lines Of the United
States, the owners of which have &C
Cepted the provisions Of this chapter, sat
an appraised value to be ascertsined by
five competent disinterested persons, two
OF whom shall be selected by the Post
master General of the United States, two
by the company interested, and one by
the four so previously selected" II is
possible, therefore, or it would seem
from the reading of the statute to be pos
sible, for the United States, in the dis
cretion Of the Postmaster General,
TO st least initiate negotiations
for the purchase of the telegraph
lines without any further action by
Congress, but naked power to appoint
board of appraisers would be of little
consequence without the necessary ap-
preparation from Congress. Mr.. Ed
muuds announced in an Incidental remark
near the end of the Forty-eighth Con-
gress, that he should make it his business
in the next succeeding Congress to endea-
vor to secure some legislation looking to
the government control OF the telegraph.
He did not manifest the zeal that was ex-
pected of him to this end in the last Con-
gress. It remains to be seen whether he
will carry out his promise in the Con-
gress which is soon to convene.